| Wat Arun Ratchawararam | |
|---|---|
Temple of Dawn | |
 The temple, seen from across the river | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | TheravadaBuddhism |
| Location | |
| Country | Thailand |
  Location within Bangkok | |
| Coordinates | 13°44′37″N100°29′20″E / 13.74361°N 100.48889°E /13.74361; 100.48889 |
| Architecture | |
| Completed |
|
| Website | |
| www | |
Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan (Thai:วัดอรุณราชวราราม ราชวรมหาวิหารpronunciationⓘ ) orWat Arun (Thai pronunciation:[wátʔarun], "Temple of Dawn") is aBuddhist temple (wat) in theBangkok Yai district ofBangkok,Thailand. It is situated onThonburi on the west bank of theChao Phraya River. The temple derives its name from theHindugodAruṇa,[1] often personified as the radiations of the rising sun. Built with a fusion of Indian influences, incorporating elements of both Hindu and Buddhist symbolism, as well as reflecting Siamese tradition and identity.[2] Wat Arun is among the best known of Thailand's landmarks.[3] Although the temple has existed since at least the 17th century, its distinctiveprang (spire) was built in the early 19th century during the reigns ofRama II andRama III.
The name of Wat Arun is derived from theHindu godAruna, who is charioteer of the sun godSurya.[4]
A Buddhist temple had existed at the site of Wat Arun since the time of theAyutthaya Kingdom, prior to the reign of KingNarai.[5]: 4 It was then known as Wat Bang Makok[6][5]: 1 which was later shortened to Wat Makok,[5]: 1 after the village of Bang Makok in which it was built (makok is the Thai name for theSpondias pinnata plant). According to the historian PrinceDamrong Rajanubhab, the temple was shown in French maps during the reign of Narai (1656–88), drew byClaude de Forbin and de Lamare.[5]: 2–3
The temple was renamed Wat Chaeng byTaksin (1767–82)[5]: 2 when he established his new capital ofThonburi near the temple, following the fall of Ayutthaya.[8] It is believed that Taksin vowed to restore the temple after passing it at dawn. The temple enshrined theEmerald Buddha image before it was transferred toWat Phra Kaew on the river's eastern bank in 1785.[9] The temple was on the grounds of theroyal palace during Taksin's reign, before his successor,Rama I (1782–1809), moved the palace to the other side of the river.[3] It was abandoned until the reign ofRama II (1809–24), who had the temple restored and had begun plans to raise the main pagoda to 70 m.[3] The work on the pagoda commenced during the reign ofRama III (1824–51). The main prang was completed in 1851, after nine years of continued construction.[10]
In 1858,Henri Mouhot, a French expeditioner, recorded the detailed observations of Wat Chang (literally Wat Chaeng, Wat Arun) in his travel journalsVoyage dans les royaumes de Siam, de Cambodge, de Laos when he had journeyed to Siam.
Nous devons ajouter que la plus belle pagode de Bangkok, celle de Wat-Chang, n’est cependant pas renfermée dans l’enceinte du palais, mais s’élève vis-à-vis, sur la rive droite du Ménam. Sa flèche, haute de deux cents pieds, est le premier indice de la capitale qu’aperçoit le voyageur qui remonte le fleuve en venant de la mer.[11]
(Translation): Let me add here that Wat Chaeng, the most beautiful temple in Bangkok, is not located in the palace grounds but stands majestically on the right bank of the river. The spire of the pagoda, which is over 200 feet in height, is the first sign to travelers sailing upstream from the mouth of the river that they have arrived in the capital.
— Henri MOUHOT (1826–61), Voyage dans les royaumes de Siam, de Cambodge, de Laos, 1868.
In 1871, Frank Vincent Jr., an American businessman, explorer, and art collector, observed the Wat Chaeng (now Wat Arun) pagoda during his travels in Siam:
The Wat Cheng pagoda is bell-shaped, with a lofty tapering steeple—a prachadi, sacred spire; the whole probably two hundred and fifty feet in height. It is built of brick, and plastered on the outside, which is wrought into a grotesque and fantastic mosaic with Chinese cups, plates, and dishes of all sizes and colours, broken and whole, so set in the plaster as to form figures of elephants, monkeys, demons, and griffins, flowers, fruits, vines, and arabesques. In large niches upon the sides, at nearly half the distance to its top, are images of Buddha riding on three elephants. The grounds of Wat Cheng, some twenty acres in extent, embrace—besides the priests’ dwellings, temples, preaching-room, library, and halls—beautiful flower and fruit gardens, ponds, grottoes, belvederes, and stone statues (brought from China) of sages, giants, warriors, griffins, nondescripts, &c.[12]
— Frank Vincent Jr. (1847–1916), The Land of the White Elephant (1874)
The temple underwent major restorations during the reign ofChulalongkorn (Rama V, 1868–1910) and in 1980, prior to the bicentenary celebration of Bangkok's foundation.[5]: 23 The most extensive restoration work on theprang was undertaken from 2013 to 2017, during which a substantial number of broken tiles were replaced andlime plaster was used to re-finish many of the surfaces (replacing the cement used during earlier restorations). As the work neared its end in 2017, photographs of the results drew some criticism for the temple's new appearance, which seemed white-washed compared to its previous state. TheFine Arts Department defended the work, stating that it was carefully done to reflect the temple's original appearance.[13][14]
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The main feature of Wat Arun is its centralprang, a typical leap tower in ancient Khmer, which is encrusted with colourful porcelain.[15] This is interpreted as a stupa-like pagoda encrusted with colouredfaience.[16] The height is reported by different sources as between 66.8 m (219 ft) and 86 m (282 ft). The corners are surrounded by four smaller satelliteprang. Theprang are decorated by shells ofMauritia mauritiana and bits of porcelain, which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China.[17] PrinceNarisara Nuwattiwong said that bothprang (spire) andvihara (main hall) appeared today; they were the original works of the Department of Ten Crafts in theAyutthaya period.[18]
The centralprang is topped with a seven-pronged trident, referred to by many sources as the "Trident of Shiva".[19] Around the base of theprang are various figures of ancient Chinese soldiers and animals. Over the second terrace are four statues of theHindugodIndra riding onErawan.[20] In Buddhist iconography, the central prang is considered to have three symbolic levels—base forTraiphum indicating all realms of existence, middle forTavatimsa, the Tusita Heaven where all desires are gratified, and the top denotingDevaphum indicating six heavens within seven realms of happiness.[20] At the riverside are six pavilions (sala) in the Chinese style. The pavilions are made of green granite and contain landing bridges.
Next to theprang is the Ordination Hall with a Niramitr Buddha image supposedly designed by Rama II. The front entrance of the Ordination Hall has a roof with a central spire, decorated in coloured ceramic andstuccowork sheathed in coloured china. Inside, there is a grand altar with a red, grey and white marble decoration. There are two demons, or temple guardian figures, in front.[20] The murals were created during the reign ofRama V.[20]
The centralprang symbolisesMount Meru of the Hinducosmology.[20] The satelliteprang are devoted to the wind god, Phra Phai. The demons (yaksha) at the entranceway to the ubosot are from theRamakien. The white figure is namedSahassa Deja and the green one is known asThotsakan, the DemonRāvana fromRamayana.
Wat Arun can be accessed through theChao Phraya River, and ferries travel across the river towards the Maharaj pier. For foreigners, the temple charges an entrance fee of 200baht (as of March 2024). DuringKathina, the king travels to Wat Arun in aprocession of royal barges to present new robes to the monks there.
In December 2023, Wat Arun was used as a venue for theTourism Authority of Thailand’s Vijit Chao Phraya 2023 program, featuring projection-mapping and light-and-sound performances along the Chao Phraya River.[21][22]
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Geographic data related toWat Arun atOpenStreetMap| International | |
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| Other | |
![French map showing the location of Wat Makok (now Wat Arun) from Histoire de la Révolution de Siam arrivée en l'année 1688, by Jean Vollant des Verquains (1688) reign of King Narai.[7]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSiege_of_Bangkok_1688_Fortress_Map_Verquains.png)
